Judas
4TH and 1
Judas
What
is Judas’ story?
Judas
was selected by Jesus to be one of the 12 Apostles (Synoptics), but at an early
point Jesus knew that one of the twelve would betray Him (John 6:70-71).
Judas
had a habit of stealing from the groups’ money bag, which he was put in charge
of (John 12:4-6). After Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, he
made a deal to hand Jesus over at an opportune time.
That
time came during the Last Supper when he was dismissed by Jesus. After
orchestrating Jesus’ arrest, Judas became remorseful. He threw back the silver
he had received for the betrayal and hanged himself.
Why
did he betray Jesus?
Option
1 He didn’t (Gospel of Judas)
The ‘Gospel of Judas’ has made headlines with its
alternative interpretation of Judas’ role. It suggests that Judas was actually
helping Jesus by removing his spirit from the realm of the flesh.
Option
2 Satan (Luke 22:3-4, John 13:27)
Some would emphasize Satan’s role in the betrayal. After
all, it was only after Satan entered Judas that he handed Jesus over to be
arrested. Judas, then, was being manipulated by the Devil.
Option
3 Fate (Matt 27:9-10, Acts 1:16, 20)
Others
would focus on the role of prophecy. Insisting that God’s predictions must come
true, it could be argued that Judas’ actions were pre-determined by the LORD.
Option
4 Money (John 12:4-6, Matt 26:15)
Those wanting to place more emphasis on human
responsibility suggest that the betrayal was mainly motivated by plain old
human greed. Judas had been stealing from the pot, was upset that he had missed
out on the perfume profits, and was willing to betray Jesus for some silver.
Option
5 Disappointment/Impatience (Mark
14:10)
More recently, it has been suggested that Judas may have
betrayed Jesus because he was frustrated with Jesus’ direction or, more complex
still, was trying to provoke Jesus to take more aggressive action against the
authorities.
Minor Questions
Why did Jesus tell the disciples about the
betrayal?
Why didn’t the disciples realize why Judas left?
Are the accounts of Judas’ death contradictory?
Why did they replace Judas in Acts 1?
Was Judas ever a genuine believer?
Where is Judas now?
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